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Column 2 Includables

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On the eve of another US war for oil, Abby Martin debunks the most repeated myths about Venezuela and uncovers how US sanctions are crimes against humanity with UN investigator and human rights Rapporteur Alfred De Zayas.

Stephen Zunes(2019-01-31). Kamala Harris and Israel: Taking the AIPAC Line.counterpunch.orgCalifornia's junior senator Kamala Harris has announced her presidential candidacy, joining what will likely become an unusually large field of Democrats seeking the nomination. Harris is being embraced by many progressive Democrats, and she's branding herself as a progressive. Yet in the course of her little more than two years in the U.S. Senate, she's More

Nauman Sadiq(2019-01-31). US Sanctions as a Tool to Perpetuate Neocolonialism.globalresearch.caIt's an evident fact that neocolonial powers are ruled by behemoth corporations whose wealth is measured in hundreds of billions of dollars, far more than the total GDP of many developing nations. The status of these multinational corporations as dominant …

Middle East Monitor(2019-01-31). US Interrogators Are Working in UAE Prisons in Yemen.theantimedia.com (MEMO) — US interrogators are present in UAE prisons in Yemen, the Daily Beast has revealed today, providing shocking evidence that the American military is a witness to the torture of Yemenis. In a series of interviews, two former detainees have testified to being interrogated by men with American accents, who looked on as they were beaten and electrocuted. …

Human Rights Watch(2019-01-31). EU Leaders Drag Their Feet on Hungary Sanctions.hrw.org In September, it seemed as if the European Union had finally woken up to the threat that Hungary's Fidesz government poses to the rights of Hungarian citizens, democratic institutions, and shared values of the EU, when the European Parliament voted to launch political sanctions. | | But since then the EU Council, made up of member state governments, has dragged its feet even as the situation in Hungary worsens. | In a debate on Hungary yesterday, members of the European Parliament called out the lack of progress by the Council on the political sanctions process under ar…

Democracy Now!(2019-01-30). Allan Nairn: Trump's Venezuela Envoy Elliott Abrams Is a War Criminal Who Has Abetted Genocide.democracynow.org In an ongoing effort to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Vice President Mike Pence met with members of the Venezuelan opposition at the White House Tuesday alongside Trump's new special envoy to Venezuela, Elliott Abrams. Elliott Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later pardoned by President George H.W. Bush. Abrams defended Guatemalan dictator General Efraín Ríos Montt as he oversaw a campaign of mass murder and torture of indigenous people in Guatemala in the 1980s. Ríos Montt was later convicted of genocide. Abrams w…

Joe Emersberger(2019-01-30). Democracy in the Americas: the U.S. Pot and the Venezuelan Kettle.counterpunch.orgVenezuela has as much right to call itself a democracy as does the United States. Until that is understood by enough people, the Trump administration will continue to devastate Venezuela's economy with illegal sanctions and push it towards civil war. People can oppose President Donald Trump's economic sanctions and incitement of a military coup without acknowledging More

Paul Kawika Martin(2019-01-30). Legislation Re-Introduced to End U.S. Role in Yemen War.peaceaction.orgWashington, D.C. — January 30, 2019 — In response to Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Mike Lee (R-UT), Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) re-introducing bipartisan, privileged resolutions to force a vote on whether or not to end U.S. support for the war in Yemen, Paul Kawika Martin the Senior […]

Eric Draitser(2019-01-30). Trump's Coup in Venezuela: The Full Story.counterpunch.org The US-sponsored coup in Venezuela, still ongoing as I write this, is the latest chapter in the long and bloody history of US imperialism in Latin America. This basic fact, understood by most across the left of the political spectrum — including even the chattering liberal class which acknowledges this truth only with the passage of time and never in the moment — must undergird any analysis of the situation in Venezuela today. That is to say, the country is being targeted by the Yanqui Empire. More

Jonathan Cook(2019-01-30). Israeli General Mounts Challenge to Netanyahu by Flaunting Gaza Carnage.counterpunch.orgWith April's elections looming, Benjamin Netanyahu has good reason to fear Benny Gantz, his former army chief. Gantz has launched a new party, named Israeli Resilience, just as the net of corruption indictments is closing around the prime minister. Already, at this early stage of campaigning, some 31 per cent of the Israeli public prefer Gantz to head the next government over Netanyahu, who is only months away from becoming the longest-serving leader in Israel's history. More

Cameron Orr(2019-01-30). Change is coming to New York, but not without struggle.peoplesworld.org The day before Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, tenant activists sat in the gallery of the New York State Senate as a slew of important voting and campaign finance reforms finally passed the legislature. These included early voting, pre-registration for 16 and 17-year-olds, consolidating state and federal primary elections into one date, facilitating voters' registration …

amnesty(2019-01-30). Philippines: Peace advocate gunned down in yet another targeted killing.amnesty.orgResponding to news that peace advocate Randy Felix Malayao was gunned down by an unidentified man on 30 January while on board a bus in northern Philippines, Amnesty International's Senior Director for Global Operations, Minar Pimple, said: | "The cold-blooded murder of Malayao is yet another addition to the growing list of political activists who have been attacked and killed in the country. |

Turkish Minute(2019-01-30). Survey Shows 80% of Turks Perceive US as the 'Most Dangerous' Country.theantimedia.com (TM) — According to a recent survey conducted by Kadir Has University a whopping 81.9 percent of Turks consider the United States the most dangerous country for Turkey. Israel follows the US with 63.3 percent, according to the survey, titled "Turkey Social and Political Trends Research," published by Turkish media outlets on Wednesday. The opinion poll …

Fight Back(2019-01-29). 2-year-old expelled by mall, community demands disability rights.fightbacknews.orgWyoming, MI – Discrimination against a two-year-old girl with a disability brought close to 150 people to Rogers Plaza Town Center for "Walking with Claire" on January 27. | On a Sunday afternoon, the normally empty mall was filled with family, friends and disability rights activists wearing, "Walking with Claire" t-shirts. Some held signs reading, "Disabled lives matter!" and "We heart our community! Everybody belongs!" | The large crowd gathered to walk slowly behind Claire and her parents, Andrew Dykstra and Hiliary Goddard-Dykstra, to the far end of the mall. There everyone sat down on the floor together to r…

ACLU(2019-01-28). In Congress, a Threat to Americans' First Amendment Right to Boycott.aclu.orgA new bill promotes state laws targeting boycotts of Israel — even though multiple judges have found such laws to be unconstitutional. | The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday on a bill that includes language that would encourage states to pass unconstitutional laws penalizing businesses and individuals who participate in politically motivated boycotts against Israel. | More than two dozen states have adopted such laws in the past four years. Their collective target is the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, "a glob…

Democracy Now!(2019-01-28). Regime Change Is Not the Answer: Rep. Ro Khanna Speaks Out Against U.S.-Backed Coup in Venezuela.democracynow.org More information has come to light about the direct U.S. role in an attempted coup in Venezuela. The Wall Street Journal reports Vice President Mike Pence called opposition leader Juan Guaidó on the night before he declared himself to be president, pledging U.S. support for his actions. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of attempting to wage a coup. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has named Elliott Abrams to be his special envoy to Venezuela. Abrams is a right-wing hawk who was convicted in 1991 for lying to Congress during the Iran-Contra scandal, but he was later p…